EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The Downtown Management District is asking that the El Paso City Council not make any decision regarding the Downtown Arena project that was approved by voters as part of the 2012 Quality of Life Bond election at their scheduled meeting next week.
“The path is not clear on how we get to the large-scale arena. I have not seen any plans on how we will get there yet. So I think it is premature to be taking any actions, putting on ballots, revoking bonds, supporting the bonds, if we don’t know ultimately where we want to go and how that action feeds into getting us where we need to go,” said the DMD Executive Director Joe Gudenrath.
The DMD still supports and advocates the need for a large-scale modern arena to be built in El Paso’s Downtown, and Gudenrath said he would like to see a clear plan laid out by the City on how to still make that a reality, before making any decisions.
On the agenda for the City Council’s meeting on Tuesday, July 16, they will discuss whether to send the project back to voters on November’s general election ballot, so they can decide whether or not to scratch the project entirely.
The item was pushed by city Reps. Chris Canales, Brian Kennedy, and Art Fierro, who argue it’s only right that voters get a say on the project as it has been in limbo for so many years.
“I think after this much time, it’s a good idea to take this back to the voters to see if they want it to continue. The City, I think, put together the best possible option with the money that’s still remaining with the proposal next to the Union Depot, and I think the reception to that was kind of lukewarm. A lot of people didn’t like that proposal,” Canales said.
The project, approved by voters in 2012, called for the development of a modern large-scale arena in Downtown El Paso but faced push-back and legal challenges as the Duranguito neighborhood was eyed as the possible construction location.
Fast-track to today, the latest proposal called for a scaled-back project of a hybrid facility with indoor and outdoor seating built around the historic Union Depot site, that would have half the capacity of the large arena.
“We have to make some sort of decision, so it’s good to take that decision to the public and see if they still want this project, if they want the proposal that the City put out earlier this year, or if maybe this is the end of this project for now,” Canales said. “You know, it’s interesting to me to think that there are people who are eligible to vote now who were 6 years old back in 2012, and I think they deserve to have a say, too. This is their money, too.”
Canales said he thinks it best to start from scratch, and welcome investments in the future into an entirely new project with a clear plan, location, and costs that would stand a better chance of coming to fruition, rather than “cobbling” something together out of what is left of that 2012 vision.
“Haphazardly changing long-term plans jeopardizes a person’s faith in where the community is going. We have seen a significant amount of private investment in Downtown El Paso based on a vision that talked about things that are coming to fruition, but that also involved a large-scale modern arena,” Gudenrath said.
He added that continuing to make decisions that alter that vision could jeopardize the investments made thus far, and called on the City to remain committed to what was approved.
“Stick to plans, proceed forward, overcome obstacles, keep the community engaged, informed, and then fulfill the promises that our city government has made to voters,” Gudenrath said.
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